Summer 2012
by Love-el-ly Joy
Summary: All of Blair's summer adventures from the start at the casino to finish.
1. The Casino

_A/N: Because I'm a spaz and I needed to get all my summer headcanons out in the open._

_Summer 2012, Chapter One: The Casino_

"Your bet, sir?"

Blair looked intently at Chuck. She'd tried beforehand to do her usual prep strategy and go through the whole situation; figure out exactly how it would play out; consider every possible thing that could go wrong, and then map out exactly what she would do, right down to hand gestures and facial expressions. Even though her predictions were usually wrong, it always helped build up her confidence. But the truth was, she had no idea what Chuck would say, so Blair couldn't do that. She was taking a huge leap of faith in going to the casino that night - and not faith in God. Faith in Chuck and Blair, Blair and Chuck.

_When two people are meant to be together, eventually they'll find their way back._

Well, Blair figured they'd definitely hit 'eventually,' and this was Blair, finding her way back.

Chuck looked back at her, reading her calm and serene, but determined, face. Eventually, he turned back to the table and continued to play. Blair went with it and played, too. They sat silently like that for about an hour before the game finally ended. Jack had left a long time ago, probably to try and find a blonde. They collected their winnings, and then Chuck finally said, "We should talk, I suppose."

Blair followed him to a quiet bench outside the casino. They sat down on opposite ends, about as far from each other as they could possibly be, almost three feet away from each other.

"I meant what I said in there," Blair said after a moment.

"I know." Chuck replied. "And that's great, it really is. I'm sorry for the way I attacked you that night. It's just that you couldn't have picked a worse time to make this decision. My father just...well, you know. And I need to focus on that right now. That's what I meant when we talked on the roof. I was angry with you, with Bart, with myself. I need some time."

Blair nodded, not saying anything yet. She knew Chuck wasn't finished.

"You've had the last two years. Give me a few months." Chuck paused. "I want you to know that I'm not trying to punish you or anything - "

"Chuck, I get it. You don't have to explain anything to me. This wasn't the only reason I came to Paris. The most important, perhaps, but I do have other business to attend to here. Literally. I'll find something to do to stay occupied for the time being."

Chuck smiled.

Blair added, "So, is this a 'we-can-see-other-people-but-we-don't' scenario?"

"Pretty much." They both laughed.

They stood, then Blair said, "I love you."

"I love you, too." Chuck gazed at her for a moment, still smiling. "I'll see you in a few months."

"Wait a second. You don't actually think I'm letting you off the hook that easily, do you, Bass?"

He looked at her, inquisitive humor in his eyes. Fish jokes about his name never got old.

"I've taken the liberty of booking the suite next to yours. Welcome to the summer of being stalked by Blair Waldorf."

Chuck laughed out loud. "It's nice to see you returning to the Blair I know," he replied. "Shall we share a car?"

"No, we shan't. It's my first night in Paris. You know my traditions."

"Don't meet any princes at the Louvre."

"I'll try not to. It wouldn't matter, anyway. I already have mine."

They just looked at each other for a moment, smiles on both of their faces, until Chuck finally said, "Okay, then. I'll call you when I'm ready. Good night, Waldorf. Have a nice summer."

"When I said stalking, I meant modified stalking. Which means I won't actually be physically stalking you that much, but you'll see me around."

Chuck and Blair exchanged another Look and then finally parted ways.


	2. The Designer

_A/N: This chapter is way longer than the last one and not realistic at all. But screw you because headcanons trump all._

_Summer 2012, Chapter 2: The Designer_

"Damn it!"

Chuck turned into his hall in time to see a woman in front of the door next to Blair's drop the dress bags that had been dangling precariously on her luggage cart. The dresses had caught some shoeboxes and jewelry cases, and the floor was now a litter of Louboutins and glitter.

"Here, let me." Chuck ran up and started handing the woman various items.

"Ugh, thanks. I'm such a - " She turned her head toward him. "_Chuck?_"

"Jenny?"

Blair looked up from the samples she'd been staring at for at least an hour, completely exasperated. "Mother, none of these designers are right."

"They can't _all_ be that bad," Eleanor Waldorf replied from her drawing table.

"Some of them are awful, yeah. There are a bunch here that're, you know...great. The dresses are beautiful. I'd love to own a lot of them. It's just that they're not the right fit for the company."

"Well, darling, you'll have to choose one of them. I'm sure you can find one designer that would be acceptable."

"That's it, though. All of these designs are _adequate_. But I'm not looking for adequate. I'm looking for extraordinary." Blair crossed the room and looked over Eleanor's shoulder. "Oh, Mother. That's beautiful. What's it for?"

"Actually, this is one of Jenny Humphrey's pieces. She doesn't think it's her finest work but it has potential, and she asked me to take a look at it."

Blair stared at the dress on Eleanor's table. "Jenny Humphrey," she whispered. "She's perfect."

"Blair, you hate Jenny. How would the two of you work together?"

"I can handle working with her if she keeps making things like this. Besides, if Chuck and Jack can do it..."

Eleanor smiled. "If you're sure the two of you can work together, then I think she's a wise choice."

"I'm going to call her." Blair pulled out her phone and walked into the empty kitchen across the hall.

Jenny answered on the second ring. "Um, why are you calling me? You told me by proxy that I could spend the summer in the city as long as Erik keeps an eye on me."

"Look, I know we hate each other, but hear me out." Blair took a deep breath. "I saw the dress you sent my mom. The white sleeveless one."

"Oh. Well, what'd you think of it?"

"I don't think it was your finest work...but it was still one of the most amazing dresses I've ever seen."

"Thanks, I guess. But, um, you're calling me about one of my more mediocre designs for, what, a chat?"

"I don't know if Eleanor told you or if word travels quickly in the fashion world or something, but I'm guessing you've heard by now that my mother is stepping down from Waldorf Designs and I'm taking her place as CEO."

"Yeah, Eleanor told me awhile ago. Why?"

"Because, Jenny Humphrey, I'm not a designer. The plan was for me to officially be the company's titleholder and business manager, I would hire a designer to replace Eleanor, and we would be fifty-fifty shareholders. Kind of like you and what's-her-name, but with more class."

"Agnes. Seriously, though, Blair, I'm supposed to leave to go to JFK in, like, thirty seconds, so get to the point."

"I've spent the summer looking at hundreds of designers' portfolios. Lots of them were good, but they're just not the right fit for the Eleanor Waldorf name. Then I saw your dress a few minutes ago and it hit me: _you're_ the perfect person to replace my mother."

Jenny was silent for a moment, then she said, "_What_?"

"Jennifer Tallulah Humphrey, will you be the new Eleanor Waldorf?"

"You want to work with me? Are you serious? Or is Ashton about to jump out at me from behind Lily's couch?"

"You know how hard it is for me to say this, but I need you."

"Um, then, _duh_. Of course I'll take them job."

"Fantastic!" Blair exclaimed. "Is there any way you could come out to Paris for the summer instead of staying in New York?"

"I'm actually supposed to be leaving to visit Dan in Italy right now, but you know what, screw Dan."

"Great. I'm booking you a flight as we speak. There's one that leaves from JFK in two hours."

"Cool. I guess I'll, you know, see you?"

"It's gonna be kind of late by the time you get here, so I'm just going to send a car to get you at the airport. Bring every clothing item you own. I'll pay you back for baggage."

"Blair - " But the line had already gone dead.

"Jenny?"

"Oh my God! Hey!" Jenny exclaimed. They stood there awkwardly for a second, until Jenny finally said, "So, can I, like, have a hug or something?"

Chuck laughed and they hugged.

"So, what're you doing here?" Jenny asked. "Are you and Blair finally, like - ?"

"Kind of, but no, not really. Blair's stalking me, actually, which is an interesting change of pace." A smile twitched at the corner of his lips. "What are _you _doing here? Isn't Blair going to kill you or something?"

"Hopefully not; she invited me here."

Suddenly, the door in front of them flew open, and Blair stood there in a Batman t-shirt and faded camo sweats. "Jenny, is that you - oh, hey, Chuck. Good, less explaining for me. I'm sure Chuck's already told you about my modified stalking."

"Yup." Jenny replied.

"Chuck was standing there smirking. "Nice outfit, Waldorf."

"You, too, minus the sarcasm." Chuck looked dashing as always, his yellow bowtie and pocket square sitting up jauntily. "This is what us single ladies wear to bed."

"Am I ever going to get an explanation for this?" he asked, gesturing between Blair and Jenny.

"You'll get your explanation as soon as you've had your few months." Blair smiled innocently at him.

He grinned. "Good night, Blair. Jenny, nice to see you."

"Night, Chuck," they chorused. Blair turned to Jenny. "Do you want to drop your stuff in your room and then we can talk?"

Jenny nodded and pulled her key card out of her pocket, opening her door.

Five minutes late, they were sitting in the armchairs in Blair's suite.

"So how'd you stomach calling me?" Jenny asked, taking a sip of her cream- and sugar-laden coffee.

"Honestly, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I haven't really been _mad_ at you since...if I had to pick an exact moment, it would be when you came to my house and told me everything about you, Juliet, and Vanessa. I mean, facing my wrath by even coming to my place was brave enough, but to confess your involvement in something that ended in my best friend being hospitalized? That scored you major points. Plus when I asked you to go double-agent and you said no? I'm not going to lie, I admired you so much then." She got quiet for a minute, then continued. "My mom told me you got into Parsons last year. You should have told me. I would've let you go."

"Maybe," Jenny replied, "but I wouldn't have let me go. The two years out of the city were good for me. So good that I think i may actually be able to come back now."

"Well, that's perfect, because we'll need to work together all year. Eleanor's still going to be the officially head for another year, so that I can graduate, and then it's ours. But it's still going to be a lot of work. I'll need you in New York." They sat in silence for a minute, sipping their coffee, until Blair said, "I'm really going to try to make this not awkward."

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to be possible. There's too much bad blood for us to not be awkward, and way too much history, even though we may not have the very core of our beings filled with hatred. Which is a shame, you know, but as Penelope once said to me, 'This is about fashion, not friendship.'"

Blair laughed. "It's a tragedy, though, because I feel like if I didn't hate you, I would genuinely like you."

They both chuckled. Then Jenny said, "So what's the story with you and Chuck?"

Blair rolled her eyes. "Oh, my God. Well, the last year happened. I'm sure you heard about a lot of it."

"Jesus Christ. Between Erik and Dan, it was all I heard about. Serena kept ranting about you and your drama to Erik. It was funny because she would just show up at Erik's dorm room and he secretly put her on speaker so that I could hear it firsthand. But then by like the fourth time she caught on and that sucked. But yeah, I heard."

Blair was laughing really hard by then. "Yeah, so Chuck's kind of been chasing me all year, but a bunch of crap went down, mostly on my end, and then Bart Bass magically came back from the dead and convinced Chuck that I suck _ten minutes _before I went to tell him I was ready to actually be with him. Long story short, he shot me down, I stalked him down to a Monte Carlo casino with Jack Bass' help, and we talked. So yeah, I said some stuff. We decided that we're taking some time this summer so that he can reestablish himself in the business world, and he's going to call when he's ready. In the meantime, I'm on modified stalk mode."

"So what you're saying," Jenny said, "is that Chuck Bass is available and living next door? 'Cuz in that case, I gotta go."

Blair threw a pillow at her. "Hush, Little J."

"But seriously. What if he doesn't call and it turns into the last few years all over again?"

"He'll call." Blair replied confidently. "Chuck's reliable now. Much more reliable than I've ever been."

"But seriously, what's your relationship status right now? I'm curious and I'll have to report back to Erik, since he's lost Serena as his Chair news source."

"Chair?"

"Oh, yeah. Do you not know about this? There's a whole underground betting ring in Manhattan, wherein people bet on who you're going to ultimately end up with, and Erik has $30,000 on you and Chuck."

"Oh my God. Why do I not know about this?"

"Trust me, it's crazy. You don't _want_ to know. There's all kinds of crazy Blair couples people bet on."

"Who else that I know bets on this, other than Erik?"

"Chuck has twelve dollars on the two of you. Erik saw him and Nate there once and spied on them. Nate has $20,000 on it, but Chuck doesn't know; he thought Nate was just there for support. Serena doesn't know. There are other people, but yeah. It's a huge thing."

"Chuck only has twelve dollars? That's not very confident."

"Well, he could have hundreds of thousands on it, but then there would always be the chance of not knowing whether he's chasing you because he loves you or for the money."

"Good point. Twelve dollars, though."

Jenny looked at the clock. "Oh, wow. When did it get to be one in the morning?"

"Time change. You'll get used to it. I'm exhausted, though, so I'll have to call it a night. We can go into the studio tomorrow and hang out with my mom."

"Fabulous." Jenny stood up. "I think I'll watch TV or something in my room."

"Cool. Good night."


	3. Inspiration

_A/N: Because I love Eva Coupeau and needed her in my story - I mean, it takes place in Paris; the odds aren't that small that they would eventually run into each other, right? Plus the next chapter makes this one perfect (in my mind) so yeah, I'm pretty happy with this one, though not as much so as with the first two. Anyway, don't forget to review and tell me what you think - reviews make my life. Also, TKM. Just...TKM. I'm sorry, I couldn't not._

_Chapter Three: Inspiration_

"Blair, what're we doing here?" Jenny asked.

Blair and Jenny sat at a table in a little Parisian cafe. It was the classic scene - cute little outside dining area, a musician playing, even a mime on the corner. Blair and Eleanor had scoped it out a few days ago and had immediately known it was the perfect place to tap Jenny's potential. "Shouldn't we be working?"

"Young Humphrey, have a little faith. We _are_ working. I've brought you out here on Eleanor's instructions." Seeing Jenny's confusion, she continued. "A good majority of Eleanor's inspiration comes from world culture. The other part she finds in her lovely daughter. Though I'm sure your muse is someone else, the culture portion should theoretically remain the same. So we've come directly to the belly of the cultural beast - a Parisian cafe. Now shut up, eat your croissant, and watch what's happening around you."

Jenny did as she was told, and before long she had created four rough sketches. They'd been sitting their for almost two hours, and by now Blair had pulled out a beat-up copy of To Kill a Mockingbird and was reading.

"How's your book?" Jenny asked.

Blair smiled. "I haven't read it since my sophomore English class at Constance. I'd forgotten how much I love it." she replied. "It's funny, there's a character named Uncle Jack and another one named Little Chuck Little." She glanced up. "How're you doing?"

"Take a look at these." Jenny shoved her stack toward Blair.

Blair looked at them for a moment then said, "And these are rough drafts?"

Jenny nodded. "Do you hate them?"

"No, it's just..." Blair smiled. "I knew hiring you was a good idea."

They were interrupted from their bonding moment by a familiar voice ordering two coffees. Blair jerked up and her worst possible nightmare came true. "Oh, no."

"What is it?"

"My ex-husband," Blair told Jenny, "and...?" There was a blond woman standing with him, her back to Blair. Her body looked vaguely familiar, but Blair couldn't quite place her...

...until she turned around and Blair was face to face with Eva Coupeau.

Louis was the first to spot Blair, and his whole face paled. Blair, who was a great lip-reader, saw Eva ask him what was wrong, and he pointed at Blair. She tossed them a flip little wave.

Blair waited in amusement to see what they would do. They looked uncertain themselves. Finally, they began to make their way over to the table.

"Hello, Blair," Louis said.

"Hi, Louis. Hey, Eva." Blair's voice was softer when she greeted Eva. She really was sorry about having driven her out of the city, and Blair definitely considered it one of her lowest points character-wise. "Um, this is Jenny Humphrey. Jenny, meet Louis Grimaldi and Eva Coupeau."

"Don't the two of you hate each other?" Louis asked.

"We did. We're good now. Right, Jen?"

"Si." Jenny was staring intently at Eva. "Aren't you the one who dated Chuck?'

Blair had to suck her cheeks into her mouth and purse her lips to keep from laughing. She loved Jenny's directness about stuff like that.

Luckily, Eva laughed, too. "For a bit, yes, I did." She turned to Blair. "How is he?"

"He's good." Blair replied. They both understood the double meaning behind those words in regards to Chuck. "Great, actually. I'm really proud of him."

"I heard about his father...how's he handling that?"

"Like a champ." Blair smiled. "No, really. We're on good terms with Jack now, who may or may not be Chuck's father - I try not to think about that part - and they're working to get their shares of Bass Industries back." Blair suddenly realized something and glanced at her watch. "Jenny and I actually have to go, but it was great seeing you both. I'd love to have lunch or something."

Both of them looked uncertain, until Blair said, "Eva, don't worry about it. I don't care about Louis enough to have any interest in breaking the two of you up."

Eva smiled. "Well, then, I'd love to. Louis?"

Louis grimaced slightly. "Fine. Tomorrow at two, La Girafe Verte?"

"Sounds great." She and Jenny stood up. "I'll see you both then." The two girls then hurried off, because Blair needed to share her great plan with someone, and that someone happened to be Jenny Humphrey.


	4. The Dowry

_A/N: I do not know how dowries work, so please don't take any of this as fact. In addition, I have no idea of the legalities of prenuptial agreements, I just needed to get Chuck's money back because of reasons. I also don't know how much her dowry is so I just made it a ridiculous sum of money so whoopee. Steal ALL the money from the principality of Monaco! Don't forget to review because I'll love you forever and you've all been so kind to read this and I love you all. I have two more chapters written out after this one in my notebook, so hopefully I'll be able to get at least one more typed and posted today, and then I have three more to write. Again, thanks for reading, and continue to be your awesome selves._

_Chapter Four: The Dowry_

Blair strode into the restaurant where she was meeting Louis for lunch. After running into him and Eva at the cafe, she knew exactly how she could get Chuck's money back for him.

She was dressed to kill in her favorite summer color, a light green strapless dress with vertical white stripes, and her new favorite white strappy gladiator heels. Her hair had been straightened and then braided to the side that morning by Jenny, who was apparently excellent at doing people's hair and makeup as well as at making clothes. To everyone else, Blair just looked like another beautiful girl enjoying a summer in Paris, but everyone who knew her could feel in their bones that someone was about to be squashed.

Louis and Eva were already at the table when she arrived. The pair stood and they all did the cheek kiss thing before sitting back down. Blair knew that she was the only one who genuinely wanted to be there.

"So, Blair, why don't you skip the niceties and just tell us why we're really here." Louis said.

"Don't worry; I don't plan on this taking too long," Blair replied, just as icily. "I'm here to make sure Chuck gets a $20,000,000 check."

"_What_?" Louis asked, shocked. "What're you talking about?"

"Violation of our prenup. You owe Chuck the money back for the dowry he paid, ten million, and then _you _owe _me_ the cost of the dowry, since you broke the terms. I haven't done any such thing."

"On what grounds?"

Blair reached into her purse and pulled out a copy of the prenup, flipping to the section about what would happen in case of divorce, and then to the subsection Cyrus had jokingly called the "Chuck Bass addendum." It stated that the dowry would be enacted if, in case of a peaceful divorce, there were rules on who they each could and could not date publicly, meant to protect the identity of the other individual who had been in the marriage. The list included Chuck Bass, Britney Spears, and all current and former prostitutes.

She handed the page to Louis and he read it silently. "Oh my God," he finally said.

"You're really lucky that I actually like Eva, and that she's important to Chuck, because otherwise I would've taken this directly to court. Actually, if it hadn't been Chuck who had paid the dowry, I probably wouldn't even bother, but I refuse to be indebted to anyone, particularly Chuck."

"So you're blackmailing me."

"Blackmail is such an ugly word. And anyway, no, I'm just offering you a suggestion. I'm asking you to give me the money I am legally entitled to, or I'll have to take legal action, which will be even more expensive and big and no one involved wants that kind of press."

"And what about you and Chuck?"

"Chuck and I are not in a relationship, publicly or privately, and haven't been for almost two years."

"Well, you're staying in the same hotel..."

"If you check our credit card histories, which I'm sure you're able to do, being a prince and all, you'll find that we both always stay there. It's purely a coincidence."

Louis glared at her for a moment, then pulled out his checkbook. "You said twenty? I'll give you fifteen." He scribbled down numbers and then tore out the check and handed it to Blair.

"Also, this officially nulls the prenuptial agreement, so it's now off." Blair stood, putting on her enormous white Jackie O's. "Have a lovely summer, Louis. I look forward to never seeing you again. Eva, my regards, as always."

And with that, Blair swished out of the restaurant, leaving Louis and Eva wondering what had just hit them. The answer, of course, was Blair Waldorf's return to form.


	5. First Date

_A/N: I basically spent all of Spanish every day this week writing this chapter and taking notes about conjugations at the same time, so this chapter is long. Like, really long. Like, it took up eight pages in my college-ruled notebook long, and my handwriting is tiny. Hopefully you'll all like the chapter and it'll have been worth it... but even if you don't, I don't really care because I had so much fun writing it. That being said, this was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to write because of all my feels, and definitely the hardest thing for a fic, but also the most rewarding. I'm really kind of proud of this chapter, but please be brutal in your reviews. TEAR ME TO PIECES. FIC MUST BE PERFECT TO FIT THE PERFECT COUPLE. Okay, now that I'm done bragging about myself, let me add this: basically, screw the promos, as far as the next few chapters are concerned. I loved them and sobbed the ecstatic tears of a Chair shipper too, but it doesn't work in terms of this story, so I'm just going to finish out the way I planned to, and in my mind, my headcanon (which is what this story is, by the way - me writing out my headcanons) still pretty much stands. ~LONG-WINDED AUTHOR'S NOTE IS OVER~_

_Chapter Five: First Date_

Jenny and Blair stood outside the atelier, debating whether or not to actually go in.

"I need to check one of Eleanor's designs and make sure I'm not completely copying the neckline. And also, this fight with your mom has gone on way too long. I haven't gotten to talk to my mentor in like a week."

"Oh, please, it's been four days. And she'll take it as a white flag if I go in, one that I have no intention of waving."

"Waldorf," Chuck said from behind them. "what're you and Eleanor fighting about this time?"

Blair turned around and there was Chuck Bass, adorable as usual in a light blue suit and green bowtie. Nate was next to him, apparently in Paris to visit his BFF, even though they would both be returning to the city the next week.

"You, as a matter of fact. Eleanor is questioning our decision to take some time this summer and is being extremely annoying about it. Hey, Nate." They hugged.

"Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. Would you mind if we...?"

Nate and Jenny automatically fell ten paces away and started talking animatedly about something.

"So," Chuck continued, "I've given it more than enough thought at this point, and I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner tonight, since we both leave for New York in the next few days. I'm assuming you'd like to get this figured out away from Gossip Girl's prying eyes."

"I'd love to. The usual place at seven?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you then."

Blair rolled her eyes, then called, "Jenny, we can go into the atelier if you need to."

"Awesome." Jenny called back. She and Nate rejoined Chuck and Blair.

"Well," Chuck said, "as usual, good to see you both. And Blair, I'll see you tonight?"

"Oui."

"Later, Jen. Good seeing you, Blair." Nate said. He and Chuck turned and kept walking.

Jenny spun to face Blair. "Oh. My. God. Guess what."

"I'm going out to dinner with Chuck tonight!"

"That's awesome! But my news is that Nate _asked me out_! We're gonna go walk and eat and oh my God I've been waiting for this date since my freshman year of high school."

Blair raised her eyebrow. "Excuse me, Jenny, but I believe you told me that you didn't have a crush on Nate when I asked you."

"As I recall, you later that very day lost your virginity to Chuck in the back of a moving limo."

Blair laughed. "So, are you going out tonight?" Jenny nodded. "Then we'll have to meet and report back on our evenings."

"Are you giving Chuck his check tonight?"

"I can use it as a conversation starter."

Jenny laughed. "Jesus. I'm so glad we're friends now."

"As am I, Little J."

Suddenly, both of their phones buzzed, which could only mean one thing: a Gossip Girl blast. Hmm. Gossip Girl had been extremely MIA this whole summer, which was extremely unusual, only coming back about once a week to post a diary entry. Blair pulled out her phone to check it.

_Honesty hour, kids. Truth be told, Blair and Chuck are my favorite couple on the Upper East Side, and I think they've been apart far too long. The official campaign to drive them back together has officially commenced. You can show your support by visiting my online store and purchasing a t-shirt or a button._

It was followed by the entry about the first time Chuck told Blair that he loved her.

"Jesus Christ," Jenny finally said.

"Gossip Girl's gone commercial. This is cause for serious alarm."

"Check what she's selling."

Blair almost peed herself with laughter on the Shop page. There were shirts with pictures of chairs, mugs with their faces on them, buttons with the quotes Blair had dutifully recorded in her diary at the end of each day.

"I want the one that says 'I'm Chuck Bass, and I told you I love you.' I was there. And it's also gotta be the most two iconic Chuck quotes put together."

Blair laughed. "This is the funniest thing I've ever seen."

"I'm sorry, but the fact that she has your diary is the best thing ever. You're really vocal about how you feel about people, so there's nothing really explosive she can post, and so she's just posting you being witty and making people think you're awesome."

"Me being a little brat."

"But a brat who makes great puns."

They both smiled.

"Well, Jen," Blair said, glancing at her cell phone, "I have exactly four hours to prepare for my fabulous date with Chuck, so it's time for some speed-shopping."

Blair was in a car by 6:45, on her way to the restaurant. She and Chuck had discovered it that first summer they'd really been together, and they still had no idea what it was called, even though they must have been there a hundred times. It had the best food in the city, but Blair hadn't been there in such a long time - the idea of going without Chuck just seemed _wrong_.

The car arrived right at seven, and Blair stepped out onto the Paris street. She wore a light pink dress made of the softest material imaginable. It was sleeveless and wrapped, falling to right above her knees. Her hair was in a careful bun on her head (again, compliments of Jenny Humphrey) to leave the nape of her neck exposed, and her white strappy heels from the day before and a matching white headband completed the look.

Chuck was waiting for her outside the restaurant. His bowtie was the exact color of her dress, and they matched perfectly. They both smiled.

"You look lovely," he said by way of greeting, offering his arm.

She accepted it, slipping her arm through and replied, "You look dashing."

Blair was vaguely aware of the cameras flashing around them - Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf, especially together, were a big deal, even in Europe - but she barely noticed them. In that moment, it was finally Chuck and Blair, Blair and Chuck once again.

Luckily, the restaurant was too small for the amateur paparazzi to follow them inside. The only people who ever went there were locals, who didn't give a crap about them, having had their city play host to them during the summer and most holidays forever. The other nice thing was that you never needed a reservation there.

They were seated quickly, and the waitress, seeing that they were American, took their orders in English.

"I have something for you," Blair said once the waitress left. Reaching into her clutch, she grabbed the check and passed it to Chuck.

"How?" was all he said, staring at the paper.

"Louis is dating Eva. Were you not aware of this?"

"I made a point to not stalk Eva, and I don't actually care about Louis, so no."

"Well, there was a section in our prenup about image, and neither of us is supposed to have a relationship with a prostitute." Blair spoke carefully, knowing she was treading on thin ice when it came to talking about Eva with Chuck. "I didn't want to take it to court because I don't want Eva to have to deal with this, so I handled it privately and dealt with Louis."

"You promise that you didn't use emotional blackmail against Eva to acquire this?" Chuck asked. Blair shook her head, and he smiled. "Looks like we've both done some growing up." He looked at the check again. "I feel like I should rip this up and yell about how I don't need _his _money for dramatic effect, but this'll help me a lot. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I know nothing can make up for what I've done to you in the past year, but I hope this helps to at least make your future - our future - better."

"Fifteen million dollars definitely cushions it."

They sat in that comfortable, worn-in silence for a moment before Blair finally said, "If I could redo the last year, I would. I'm so sorry, Chuck."

"I'm not. And I wouldn't. At the time, it was awful, almost unbearable. But just almost. But it made me realize some things, and we've both changed for the better because of it. Everything that's happened, everything we've done, has led us to this point, and I'm glad."

"What've you realized?"

"That I am indeed still Chuck Bass without Blair Waldorf."

Blair expected that to sting, but it didn't. She smiled. "Explain."

"You make me so happy, Blair, and both of us are at our prime when we're together. But I know now that I can function without you if I have to, though I'll never stop trying to get you back, if it ever comes to that."

"I'm glad. But I'm here now, and I plan to stay. It's nice to know you'll be okay if something happens, though. And we'll be so much better this time, as a couple."

"If we can function as individuals, we'll function as a couple.

"Exactly." The waitress came back with a bottle of champagne and a basket of bread, placing them both on the table and then leaving again. Ignoring the bread, Blair poured them each glasses of champagne and took a sip of hers. "So, other than semi-moving on, what've you been up to for the past year?"

"Well, I finally read _To Kill a Mockingbird_, after you telling me to for eight years."

"I was _just_ telling Jenny about that book the other day. I was rereading it when I ran into Louis and Eva, actually."

"I presented the book to Jack and said, 'This is how a good Uncle Jack should behave.' He then threw a copy of _Rebecca_ at me and replied, 'I choose to follow this model.'"

Blair burst out laughing. "But that's Cousin Jack."

"Well, Jack is some yet-undetermined relation of mine, so who knows what he is?"

"God, it's gotten to the point where I just want to quote everything he says. It's so fantastic that he's not evil anymore."

"I know. He's hilarious when he's not trying to break us up or purloin my property."

Blair smiled. Their banter was number three on the list of things she'd missed about Chuck. "Well, he's the one who actually called me with your location this time, so that's a nice change of pace."

Her hand was resting on the table, and Chuck reached over and curled his fingers through hers. Looking down at their hands intertwined, she said, "You planning on taking me to a movie tonight, too?"

Chuck laughed. "No, but we are on a dinner date; does that count? Also, did you see Gossip Girl earlier?"

"Yes. Did you see the store? I ordered Jenny a quote button."

"I like the way Gossip Girl dedicated her life to driving a wedge between us and now she's - "

"- committed to getting us back together, yup. Maybe Jack is Gossip Girl."

"It was great that one time when she posted your pre-Snowflake Ball entry."

Blair cracked up. "Oh my God. An hour after that went live, I got _this_." She pulled out her phone, went to a text, and handed it to Chuck.

He started laughing, too. "He actually sent you a history of the word 'mellifluous'? You should've gone with him; at least he apparently has a sense of humor."

"Speaking of my date, have you heard from our gangers lately?"

"Justine and Sam are happily married and live in Seattle."

"How do you know this?"

"They send me a Christmas card every year. Don't you get them?"

Blair frowned. "No."

"Well, they were upset when the _Inside_ movie wasn't made; they wanted to play us. Justine was going to wear your headband to audition."

"I can't believe I let her keep that. It was my favorite headband, too. I think Nate gave it to me for Christmas freshman year."

"Proxy-purchased by Serena, I'm sure."

"Of course."

"Sorry for mentioning her. I know there's no love lost between you and my sis." Chuck studied her face for a moment, and then raised his eyebrow. "Unless there is?"

Blair shrugged. "Yeah, I'm still made at her, but she did have a rough year. Plus I never even really liked Dan, and Serena knew that, so I can't hate her. It's not like she dealt me this huge emotional blow when she slept with him. Mostly I've just been putting it off and figuring I'll deal with the whole mess once I get back to the city."

"So she's still your best friend?"

"Serena's my sister. Jenny's moving up there, though. She's way past minion status at this point."

"All this in three months?"

"Considering we've spent every waking minute together, it was bound to be either that or revert to the Blair/Jenny dynamic of two years ago. But yeah, we work well together and we get along. And she hates the guy in 500 Days of Summer as much as I do, and for the same reason, so that's worth bonus points."

"Well, that's good. What's she doing this year? Doesn't she go to some school in London?"

"She's transferring to Parsons on a threat from Lily that if Rufus says she's reverted to Blair-esque Jenny Humphrey, she has to go back."

"So Lily's still paying for Jenny's college?" Chuck asked, taking a piece of bread from the basket.

"Lily's kids are Lily's kids, regardless of marital status. She loves Jenny and Dan. Besides, you never went to school, so one of them is just going on your college money."

"I never _had_ college money. Bart didn't think I'd make it through high school, much less to higher education."

"Well, he ended up being right about that, but not in the way he thought."

"At least I'm doing _something _productive." Chuck sipped his champagne.

"How's that going, by the way? Have you gotten anything back yet?"

"I'm working on it. Mostly I just got sick of waiting around to be with you, so I figured I've come far enough to a point where our relationship can work in tandem with getting Bass Industries back."

"Fine by me. I'll accept us in basically any capacity."

They both smiled. Finally, Chuck said, "So, how was your summer?"

"Great. One of my best, actually. The two of us were in a peaceful state of pause, and like I said, Jenny's fantastic. But yeah, we basically just worked and ate and slept and watched movies."

"How cute; Blair Waldorf makes a friend." Chuck grinned.

"Oh, hush. I already have a friend. And how was yours?"

"Decent. Jack's not half bad, I've found, and we basically did everything you and Jenny did, but with Apocalypse Now instead of whatever indie chick flicks you two watched."

"How cute; Chuck Bass achieves familial peace."

Chuck laughed. "I've missed you, Waldorf."

"And I you, Bass."

After dinner, they found themselves wandering around a park hand-in-hand, reminiscing, cracking jokes, and making each other laugh.

They found themselves near a gorgeous marble fountain eventually, and they stopped. Blair saw Chuck reach into his pocket, and when he pulled whatever it was out, Blair saw that it was a box.

_The _box.

Blair's eyes widened with shock and happiness. When Chuck bent down on one knee, Blair felt like she was in a dream.

"Blair Waldorf," Chuck began, "I love you. I love you so, so much. The way you smile, the way you laugh, the way you think you're better than everyone else, and you're right because you are. How you can't help but sparkle, even when you feel like you're a dim piece of coal. The way you never give up on the people you love - Serena, Nate. Me. Even though we've all deserved it time and time again. I loved you when you sang Stand By Your Man and I loved you when we were at war and they played the video at your twentieth birthday party. Blair, I love you, and I'll always love you. Will you marry me?"

Blair was crying by then. "Oh my God, Chuck, of course I'll marry you."

And in what seemed like the same instant, Chuck was slipping the ring onto her finger and they were crushed into each other's arms, kissing and crying and generally being ecstatic.

"Do we really have to wait to get married?" Blair groaned. "Why can't we just get married, like, next week?"

"Well, why can't we?" Chuck asked. "We've set up beautiful weddings in a matter of hours before. A week would be more than enough time for us to plan it and for you and Serena to make up."

"Do you really think we can?"

"Of course we can. We're Chuck and Blair."

Blair pulled out her phone. "I have to go. I need to call Serena and my parents and I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Don't change your Facebook relationship status until I give you the okay. Oh, and we need to set an actual date."

"How does next Saturday sound?"

"Perfect." Blair gave him one last peck on the lips and then ran off to get a cab.


	6. Serena

_A/N: Because Blarena will never die and because Carterena is an A+ OTP. I know it's short, but it's because the last one was so long that I thought I was going to die and the next one is the same way, so I decided to give myself a break, especially since I'll have to work double time to get this whole thing up before the season premiere._

_Chapter 6: Serena_

"Hello?"

Blair's breath caught in her throat when she heard Serena's voice. Serena sounded exhausted, but not high or anything, which has been Blair's main concern.

"S.? It's me."

"Blair. It is five in the morning. You could have called me at _any time_ over the last three months, and you call at _five a.m._ Carter, go back to sleep; it's just Blair."

"Carter? As in Carter Baizen?"

"Yes. For your information, we have been back together for several months now."

"That's nice, but my news is even more urgent. I'm engaged."

"_What_? Oh my God!" Serena sounded wide awake now. "To who?"

"Who do you _think_? Chuck, of course. We're getting married next Saturday, and you're going to be my maid of honor."

"You actually want me to be maid of honor? Don't you hate me?"

"Serena. You're my sister. Yes, I'm angry with you, but I love you, and it's like when you made me go get Chuck out of that train station. I'll never forgive myself if you're not in my wedding - my _real_ wedding, to Chuck. So will you do it?"

"I believe the word the kids are using is _duh_. I've missed you, B."

"We'll talk when I get back to the city. I need to call my mom now."

"Of course. 'Night."

"Good...morning."

Serena laughed as Blair hung up the phone.


End file.
